Taylor Shire
Regina Leader-Post
As the Saskatchewan Roughriders celebrate their 2025 Grey Cup championship, the group is already thinking about doing it all again next year.
Following a couple days of Grey Cup celebrations in Regina after Sunday’s victory in Winnipeg over the Montreal Alouettes, players gathered at Mosaic Stadium one last time this week for Garbage Bag Day before heading into the off-season.
While some players are under contract for next season and fully expect to be back, many others are pending free agents.
However, there is clearly a shared sentiment among the group to try to run it back next year.
“When you can continually play with the same guys for a long period of time, that’s where the success comes from,” said linebacker Jameer Thurman, who is under contract for 2026. “So I do think that it’s important that we get a lot of our guys back for our team next year that were part of this championship team.”
Considering the individual success many players had on a championship-winning team, other teams will certainly be interested in their services.
And oftentimes it could mean more money elsewhere, which is something you can’t necessarily blame a player for chasing.
“There will be some guys that will be making those type of decisions, for sure,” said Thurman. “At the end of the day, this game, you’re not promised it for a long time.
“So if there’s any chance that you can get some money that could provide for yourself and your family, and that’s what you need to do, then guys are going to make those decisions.
“But I tell guys all the time, when you’re on winning teams, that little bit of money that you got from somewhere else, you can get in playoff money and championship money, so just take that into account when they make these decisions.”
There’s also sometimes a promise of more playing time for some guys who maybe weren’t used as much as they would have liked this season.
“No one wants to not play,” said Thurman. “So if there’s a chance for guys to break out somewhere else, more power to them.
“We play this game to play football, so I’m not going to be mad for anyone going for anywhere that they can progress in their career.”
Some of those pending free agents include Grey Cup MVP quarterback Trevor Harris, who said he would be “shocked” if he retired, plus receivers KeeSean Johnson, Dohnte Meyers, Samuel Emilus and Kian Schaffer-Baker. There are defensive players including Micah Johnson, Malik Carney, C.J. Reavis, A.J. Allen, and Tevaughn Campbell who are pending free agents also.
Running back A.J. Ouellette is another pending free agent after signing a two-year deal in 2024. However, like others, he’s made it known where he wants to play in 2026.
“Who knows; hopefully here, but you never know,” said Ouellette, who eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the second time in his career this season. “Go home, always think about what you need personally, what you want out of your career, and see if they want you back at the end of the day.”
If the contract offer is fair and the role is suitable, sometimes it makes sense to take a “hometown” discount, according to several players.
“Yeah, I think that across the board, and I’ve talked to multiple guys,” said Ouellette. “You take a little discount, and you make it up at the end, right? Playoff cheques, Grey Cup cheque, all the extra stuff.
“And just winning is priceless. You can’t put a price tag on winning. That’s what I thought of when I came here. I had a couple of offers, and this was the third biggest. I had two more teams offering more money, and I was just like, I think this is a team where the future is.”
“I did that a couple of times in my career,” added pending free agent right tackle Jermarcus Hardrick, the 2025 CFL’s most outstanding offensive lineman who spent seven seasons in Winnipeg and won two championships. “Got a couple Grey Cups; got a couple playoff bonuses.
“Now that I look back on it, it was the right thing to do to keep the band together but you always have to do what’s best for you so there’s always a hard conversation to have with someone.
“But if it works for their family and it works for us, let’s keep the band together.”
Especially if there’s a chance to chase a second straight Grey Cup victory.
“That feeling that you had, you want to keep chasing that,” said Thurman. “I want to experience what I’ve been experiencing for the last couple of days all the time, every single year.”
“Let’s see how many we can compete for,” summed up head coach Corey Mace. “Every year I feel like as many people as we can get back, we put ourselves in contention to get another run at it.
“And I know that excites a lot of guys in that locker room. So from coaches and players alike, I know a lot of things go into putting a team together but being motivated to do something special here … Nobody has ever won two in a row here.
“I know this group; that would bring excitement to the guys to come together and try to do something that’s not been done here before.”
Future of Harris
The biggest name among the pending free agents is Harris, who has been asked numerous times if he will be coming back in 2026 since hoisting the Grey Cup.
Nothing has been decided quite yet.
“I’m not somebody that kind of stews on things in terms of this,” said the 39-year-old quarterback. “I don’t think this will take long. The only thing that I try and maintain is that, if I do come back, that the same exact drive, the same exact motivation, the same exact work ethic, if not more, will be there.
“So If I am back, that means that my drive is higher, and that we want to do this again, but again, I’m going to still take some time to do that, because emotions are high, especially after a situation like this, and you just want to make sure that’s the case.
“I feel like I’m supposed to feel different,” continued Harris. “Because I get all these questions of, like, ‘So is this it?’ And I’m like, ‘Is it supposed to be? Do I look old? Am I not playing well? Do I look like a geezer? Do I have gray hairs?’
“I feel like I’m supposed to feel different. And I’ve said on the stage (after the game), I feel like I’m somewhere between retiring and feeling like I’m just hitting my prime.
“I know I said last year that physical deterioration wouldn’t be what retires me, and I still maintain that. And I said last year I felt like my best football was in front of me, and if there is more football in front of me, I’d still maintain that.
“I feel like I have better football in front of me if that’s what I feel like God has in store for me.”
tshire@postmedia.com
